International Federation for Choral Music

Our choral community mourns one of its most exceptional leaders: Maya Shavit (Israel) passed away at the age of 85.

Maya founded the Efroni Girls’ Choir in 1981, a choir of girls (ages 9-18) coming from all areas of Emek Hefer and representing a wide section of the Israeli population. She remained the music director until 2013. Under her leadership, the choir reached international acclaim through concert tours in Europe, Scandinavia, Canada, the USA, and Japan.

Maya was one of the most active members on the Israeli choral scene. For decades, she focused on children’s choirs throughout the country and abroad, giving the young people the experience of musical collaboration and true acceptance. Maya initiated Jewish-Arab choral activities that were community-building and educational, aiming at building bridges between the cultures. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ministry of Education of Israel. 

During the years 2005-2011, Maya was a board member of the International Federation for Choral Music where she made a huge and positive contribution to our choral community. In 2005, a World Youth Choir session was organized by Zimriya, the World Assembly of Choirs in Israel, Hallel, the Israeli Choral Organization, and Jeunesses Musicales Israel. Maya was involved in planning IFCM’s third Multicultural and Ethnic Conference focusing on Jerusalem as a center for three of the great Abrahamic religions, traditions, and cultures: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. This was to have taken place in 2006 but was cancelled due to the political situation at the time. Maya would later write in a report: "…The variety of choral voices coming from the many Christian, Jewish and Muslims traditions were an unbelievable mosaic, and the cooperation I received from the different people involved was touching and promising. It was to be what the whole idea of ‘Voices of…’ was meant to be…’’

In 2008, Maya organized a meeting of the IFCM Executive Committee in Jerusalem and arranged for them to meet with several cultural administrations, Zimriya, Hallel, and Mila.

In 2012, she was one of the experts at the IFCM World Choral Summit in Beijing, China, and presented ‘Building Bridges’ jointly with André de Quadros and Thierry Thiébaut.

Maya will remain a model of inspiration, courage, strength, and humanism for many years ahead and a dear friend forever.

Elected IFCM Board members in Kyoto, in 2005 (Maya in the center).

 Maya and Mr. Graulich at the Carus Reception during the WSCM in Copenhagen in 2008.

Maya conducting the Little Singers of Armenia in 2015.

The Efroni Choir that Maya founded in 1981 and conducted until 2013, with two Songs from the Yemenite tradition.